The Organization of Chipped-Stone Economies at Piedras Negras ...

change. Sommer (2001) recently stated: “we need to work at developing the link between
agency, identity and structure, and the general processes of social development.”
Of key interest is the theoretical depth of the world view concept, which posits
relationships between the conscious and subconscious thought. Kearney (1984)
investigated how world views are contested in California Indian and Zapotec cultures in
the face of colonial powers. He posited that everyday practices are a platform for class
struggle, and that world view can be a political tool if it is brought into the consciousness
of actors and is used as a way to contradict orthodoxies enforced by colonial or state rule.
Similar to the overlapping nature of ethos and world view, the introduction of power and
politics reveals how ideology and world view share common ground.
2.2.2: Ideology
Ideology, which overlaps conceptually with world view, appears to be a well-
suited category to deal with reflective thought more directly related to power and wealth.
Ideologies are not exclusive to the ruling elite, however, and can be created and
maintained by any person in society, but with varying degrees of acceptance and potency
in social negotiation. This version of ideology differs from traditional definitions by
Althusser (1977) and some other Marxist thinkers that view ideology as a false
consciousness or as an elite tool used maintain the status quo (McGuire 1992).
Conversely, Sharer and Ashmore (1993:510) described ideologies and ideological
systems as “the means by which human societies codify beliefs about the natural and
supernatural worlds.” Although this definition is reminiscent of the world view concept,
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